9781422288450

Women and young people, however, report varying degrees of distress, rang-

ing from feeling self-conscious or unattractive to feeling downright rejected

or suicidal. In fact, according to a study published in the

Journal of Adolescent

Health

, teens do not even have to be overweight to contemplate suicide

because of their body image—they only have to believe that they are obese.

This study included 14,000 high school students, and suicidal thoughts were

found to be the same in both boys and girls.

Neurochemical

and Genetic

Components

Americans are slowly, very slowly, catching on that

many social stigmas attached to obesity only reveal

misinformation and ignorance. People who are over-

weight or obese are not necessarily lazy or undisci-

plined, and they certainly aren’t stupid. Yes, lifestyle choices (food selection

and activity level) can cause excess weight in some people, but they aren’t the

cause for everyone. Some people are just wired to be a larger size. More and

more evidence suggests that biochemical and genetic components play a

greater role in being overweight than traditionally believed.

Obesity is a complex condition, and it varies from individual to individ-

ual. Some people can attain a healthier weight by cutting down on certain

foods and getting more exercise. For this population, diet and exercise are

proper interventions because they work. But there are also many overweight

people whose bodies do not respond to such seemingly logical approaches.

(We all know someone who has diligently tried to lose weight, experienced

limited success, and then just gained it back again.) Why can some people

succeed with diet and exercise while other people fail? The answer may be in

the genetic code.

Evidence from twin, adoption, and family studies strongly suggests famil-

ial similarities in maintaining body weight. Putting on the pounds is often

Weighing on Your Mind: The Psychological Impact / 85